Library
Information Research Assignment
Research Methods, School of Science
Name:
s-number:
Add your answers in black font in the shaded boxes provided. Do not delete any of the text and images of the assignment. Save the assignment as: family name_your given name_InfoRes.doc and submit via Canvas.
Please contact your Course coordinator/demonstrator or Ask The Library if you need assistance at any stage of the library assignment. To allow for an adequate response be sure to make contact well before the due date of the assignment.
All questions must be completed satisfactorily to pass the library component of the course.
Q.1 Understanding your topic and developing a search strategy:
1.1 Briefly explain your research topic (50-150 words)
If your project has several stages or components outline them briefly and indicate which stage you will be focusing on for the assignment.
Masters by Coursework students should use a topic from another MC course (or one from previous undergraduate study) or devise a topic and run it by a lecturer in the discipline.
Q1.1
1.2 Identify the main concepts of your topic and list the keywords for each concept. Your keywords will be the search terms for each concept. These will represent the main elements of your assignment topic.
Include synonyms, alternative terms, plurals, and acronyms where appropriate. A preliminary search of a relevant journal article database can be helpful for identifying these.
Q1.2
1.3 Convert your keywords into a search strategy.
A search strategy is how you will use your keywords effectively for searching. Your keywords reflect the major concepts of your topic. A search strategy will involve using keywords and their alternatives, or synonyms, as well as other functions like Boolean operators and truncation or phrase searching.
Many databases provide an advanced search option that allows you to incorporate the Boolean operators AND and OR into your search. You can also construct your own search using Boolean operators and other functions.
TIPS:
AND will find references containing both concepts
OR will find references containing either concept
An asterix symbol (*), also called truncation, is used for finding different word variations
“quotation marks”, also called phrase searching are used to find the words together
Here is an example of a search statement from the Web of Science database:
Now, construct your own search strategy with keywords, alternative words and other functions. Include Boolean operators between the concepts and keywords and alternative terms.
Q1.3
Concept 1: Keyword & alternative term(s)
Boolean operator:
Concept 2: Keyword & alternative term(s)
Boolean operator:
Concept 3: Keyword & alternative term(s) (if you have a third concept
Boolean operator:
Q.2 Using the Library Databases to search for research on your topic
2.1. List two journal article databases most useful for your topic.
Access the Subject Guide for your discipline for a list of relevant databases.
Select two of the recommended or key databases listed on your subject guide. You will use your search strategy in these databases.
Q2.1
Your subject guide:
Your selected journal article databases:
1.
2.
2.2. Using your search strategy, find two articles relevant to your research using one or two of the databases listed in your subject guide.
Develop a search strategy for your main concepts using keywords and related terms (or synonyms) and the Boolean operators AND and OR. You can also use other search functions like phrase searching and truncation to retrieve more results.
Provide a screen capture of the database record for each article. Include title / author / abstract / subject terms. You need to select the article to see the full record of the item.
Q2.2
1. [Insert your screen capture for article 1 here]
2. [Insert your screen capture for article 2 here]
2.3 Find subject terms/keywords
From the two articles you have selected, find the subject terms or keywords that are assigned to each article. Screen capture and highlight or list the subject terms or keywords for the two articles.
Important: Databases use different terms for subject terms or keyword.
Q2.3
1. [Insert your JPG for article 1 keywords here, or list two subject terms from that article]
2. [Insert your JPG for article 2 keywords here, or list two subject terms from that article]
Q.3 Finding Theses
3.1 Theses
Find one thesis relevant to your research that you can use for background information.
IMPORTANT: Check that your thesis is a thesis. Not everything appearing in the RMIT Research Repository or Trove is a thesis.
IMPORTANT: The full text of the thesis has to be available in order for it to be a thesis that is helpful to you. See below for the required screen capture.
Q3.1
Author and title details of postgraduate thesis:
Thesis database/catalogue used to locate the thesis:
Insert a screen capture of the record for your thesis which displays the Author, Title, Thesis type, University and pdf availability. If using Dissertations and Theses Full Text (ProQuest) two screen captures will be required.
Q3.2
Explain how the thesis is relevant to your own research question (50-100 words).
Q.4 Finding Books
Q4.1
Locate a book or e-book relevant to your research using RMIT Library’s LibrarySearch.
Details (author, title etc) of book:
Insert a screen capture of the Details view of your book
Book from LibrarySearch:
• To bring up the Details view, click on the correct book title from the results list. When the title’s record is displayed you can view the details including a summary of the book’s content.
Q4.2
Explain how the content of the book assists you with your research (50-100 words).
Q.5 Compile a reference list
Q5.1
Compile a reference list using the two journal article references found in Q.2 and the thesis and book reference from Q.3 and Q.4.
Present your FOUR References in the RMIT Harvard or APA 7th edn (not EndNote’s Harvard)
Use FOUR references only (book, thesis, 2 articles). A long reference list of articles copied from EndNote will not be checked and you will be marked down.
Only RMIT Harvard or APA 7th edn will be checked. You will be marked down if you use a different style. Although your discipline may use a different style ( IEEE, Vancouver etc), if you use software like EndNote, you can later easily change between styles.
Follow the range of examples given in the example reference lists below.
Quick guide:
• It is not necessary to use EndNote referencing software to complete this question. A Library Guide to the RMIT Harvard style and APA 7th edn (referred to simply as Harvard) is available via the Referencing page and an example bibliography is also provided below.
• However, EndNote software is extremely valuable to Honours, Masters by Research and PhD students as it automatically generates reference lists. Check with your supervisor if you are not sure of its value to you.
• Do not use the version of Harvard that comes with the EndNote software. EndNote’s Harvard presents author names in capitals which is not the style you require.
• For further assistance, contact Ask The Library
Example reference list in the Harvard RMIT style:
Adams, MJ 2004, Chemometrics in analytical spectroscopy, 2nd edn, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England.
Daivis, PJ, Matin, ML & Todd, BD 2007, ‘Nonlinear shear and elongational rheology of model polymer melts at low strain rates’, Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, vol. 147, no. 1-2, pp. 35-44.
Huynh, TT 2003, ‘Mycorrhizal fungi in Caladenia species (Orchidaceae)’, Ph.D. thesis, University of Melbourne.
Spencer, MJS & Morishita, T (eds) 2016, Silicene : structure, properties and applications, Springer, Switzerland.
Tari, Z, Thompson, A, Almusalam, N, Bertok, P & Mahmood, A 2018, ‘MicroGRID: An accurate and efficient real-time stream data clustering with noise’, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 10938 LNAI, pp. 483-494.
FINAL CHECKLIST TO AVOID LOSING MARKS
• Have you included all necessary screen captures? Answers will not be considered if they are not confirmed by the requested screen captures.
• Have you answered all parts of each question? Omissions will result in a low mark for the entire question.
• Does your reference list look like the example given above? Only this style will be checked so you will be automatically marked down if you use a different style.
• All four references need to be in one style. Don’t switch between styles in the one reference list.
• The reference list needs to be arranged in alphabetical order (this also means – don’t number 1 – 4)
• EndNote does not accurately display theses, and there may also be problems with conference papers. Compare your references to the examples below and/or to the examples given in Easy Cite.
• A conference paper that is published in a series, with a volume number, can be treated as a journal article (see Lecture Notes in Computer Science example below).